Investing.com - The number of unemployed people in Spain declined unexpectedly in February, easing concerns over the health of the euro zone’s fourth largest economy, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, Spain’s Employment Ministry said the number of unemployed people fell by a seasonally adjusted 1,900 last month, compared to expectations for an increase of 74,200. The number of unemployed people rose by 113,100 in January.
Following the release of the data, the euro held on to gains against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD inching up 0.13% to trade at 1.3753.
Meanwhile, European stock markets were higher after the open. Spain’s IBEX35 climbed 1.1%, the EURO STOXX 50 advanced 1.2%, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.2%, Germany’s DAX picked up 1%, while London’s FTSE 100 rallied 1.2%.